Among Chimpanzees

the long version

A former student and colleague of Jane Goodall shares stories of chimps and their heroes, and takes readers on a journey to save man's closest relative. Unbeknownst to much of the public, there is a looming crisis for Great Apes: chimps are extinct in four African countries and nearly so in twelve others. A large percentage of the remaining populations live in unprotected, increasingly fragmented African forests that are under siege. Veteran chimp researcher Nancy Merrick takes us from the early days of primate research, when wild chimpanzees were abundant and the world was spellbound by emerging details of their behavior, to today's critical conservation efforts. Along the way, Merrick demonstrates that the best hope for chimps and other Great Apes lies in connecting conservation to humanitarian efforts, ensuring a healthy future for animals and humans alike.